


Paint the Town

by SugdenLovesDingle



Series: Robert week 2017 [4]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: DIY roblivion style, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2017-09-07
Packaged: 2018-12-25 00:02:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12023883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SugdenLovesDingle/pseuds/SugdenLovesDingle
Summary: Robert weekDay 4 - “That’s my favourite outfit on you.”





	Paint the Town

There’d been a fire at the mill. And an explosion. Of course. Because when was Robert’s life ever calm and quiet and without disaster? Thankfully nobody had gotten hurt because the three of them had gone to Dublin for a long weekend for Sandra’s birthday. But still there was a lot of damage to the house. Not as much as when they’d bought the place, but still enough to make them move back into the pub for the time being.

And Robert loved his in laws, most of the time at least and in small doses, but living in the Mill with Aaron and Liv, without being surrounded by the rest of the Dingle-clan for almost a full year, made it that much harder to go back to their cramped bedroom above the pub and sharing a bathroom with Charity.

Gabby had sent Liv a video of the fire when they were in Ireland and from that Robert had expected to return to a smoking pile of bricks. The blast had blown out all of the windows (including his pride and joy that was their stained glass door) and the downstairs living area and kitchen were pretty much lost. The fire department had told them that’s where the fire had most likely started. A gas leak. An accident.

Robert had been convinced it wasn’t as simple as that. And had told the police that much. Jason, now an honorary Dingle like himself, had pushed for an official investigation and called in as many favours as he could, but still the outcome was the same. It was ruled an accident. Thankfully their insurance paid up quickly and they were able to get the structural damage to house repaired within a few weeks.

That’s when the hard work had begun. Throwing out everything that had been damaged by the fire or water, convincing Liv her favourite armchair really was too badly damaged to keep and making Aaron see the kitchen they had was perfect and they should get the exact same one. Booze fridge included. Robert was happy to say he won both battles.

So now here they were, most of the damage repaired, the destroyed furniture thrown out and new furniture bought and ready to be delivered in a few days. With a bit of luck they could move back in, in a few weeks.

“Oi! Slacker! Less daydreaming, more painting!” Liv said, flicking a paint brush at Robert, covering him in blue paint splatter.

Robert glared at the girl as he wiped the paint from his cheek.

“What? If you’re making me work here instead of letting me go see my mates you better work too.”

“You see Gabby every day! And this is your house too you know.”

“Yeah so I’m working. You’re just daydreaming. Probably about Aaron even though he’s only gone to get some more supplies and he’ll be back in like 10 minutes.” Liv said and flicked more paint at him.

“Oi, stop that!”

“Then get back to work. Slacker.”

Robert rolled his eyes at his sister in law and picked up a paintbrush, carefully dipping it in the can of paint at his feet before flicking it at Liv.

The girl didn’t notice at first but Robert’s laughing gave him away.

“Robert!”

“Olivia.”

“What did you do?” Liv demanded, feeling her back to try figure out what Robert had done.

“Nothing.” He said and flicked more paint at Liv, most of it landing on her face.

“Oh you’re a dead man.”  She said and dipped her brush in the paint once more and instead of flicking paint at Robert, she started chasing him around the room with it. Paintwork forgotten.

Robert laughed and ducked out of her way at the last second when she’d cornered him in the kitchen.

“Be careful you don’t get paint all over my cabinets, Flaherty.”

“Your cabinets?” Liv asked, trying to grab him with her free hand. “I thought it was my house too? Doesn’t that mean they’re my cabinets too?”

“Unless you do the cooking from now on, they’re my cabinets.”

“I’m a good cook. I used to cook for my mum all the time when we lived in York.” Liv said, trying to distract him so she could attack him with her paintbrush.

“Yeah? Well I used to be a chef. And your cooking is the same as Aaron’s. Beans on toast and take out.”

“That’s not true. And you never give me a chance to prove it.”

“When we’re moving back in you can do the cooking.” Robert said and quickly ran over to the paint cans again and dipped his brush in it. Liv took the opportunity to attack him with her brush and paint a blue streak over his face and hair before running away from him again.

“Oh I’m coming for you now. You’re going to be sorry you ever messed with me.”

Liv laughed and ran up the stairs, Robert following close behind. He managed to leave a smudge of paint on her arm as she climbed over the bannister and let herself drop to the ground.

“You’re getting slow in your old age.” She teased and laughed when Robert ran after her again.

“Traffic was a nightmare. Some accident near the Hotten bypass. I swear that place is doomed.” Aaron said as he walked into the flat, carrying two large bags of paint supplies and dropping them by the door when he saw Robert and Liv, each armed with a paintbrush, circling Liv’s new armchair that was thankfully still covered in plastic.

“Uhm… what’s going on?”

“He’s out to get me. Save me Aaron.” Liv said and squealed when Robert suddenly dashed forward and grabbed her by the waist and smeared paint all over her face.

She managed to squirm out of his arms and hide behind Aaron.

“I’m gone for half an hour and you two turn into toddlers?”

“He started it.” Liv said, grinning at Robert.

“I did not! You flicked your brush at me!”

“Because you were just standing there, daydreaming.”

“I wasn’t!”

“Yes you were.” Liv replied and quickly moved around Aaron in another sneak paint attack that left Robert with a blue streak across his chest and part of his arm.

“Oi! I’m not your shield.” Aaron said when Liv ducked behind him again. “Leave me out of this.”

Robert grinned and Aaron knew the look he saw in his husband’s eyes way too well. One that meant he was plotting something and Aaron was in trouble.

“No. Whatever you’re thinking. No. No chance. Leave me out this.”

“Out of what?” Robert asked sweetly. “We’re not doing anything. Right, Liv?”

“Right.” Liv replied and Aaron felt her grip on his waist tighten as his husband moved closer.

“You’re grounded.” He told Liv. “And you…” He pointed at Robert.“ You can bunk up with Charity. Or Faith.”

“Now why would I do that when I have a beautiful husband to keep me warm at night?”

Robert slipped an arm around Aaron’s waist and Aaron knew getting out of this sister - husband sandwich was a lost cause.

“I’m divorcing you.” He tried but Robert knew he didn’t mean it and ignored it. “No sex for a week. A month!”

“You wouldn’t last that long. You’d practically rip my clothes off on day two.”

Aaron snorted. Robert was probably right but he wasn’t going to tell him that.

“Hey, mixed company here. I don’t want to hear about your sex life ok? It’s bad enough that we have to share a bedroom wall again.”

Robert laughed and kissed the blush from his husband’s face, enjoying the blue smudges he was leaving.

“You know, this is my favourite outfit on you.” He told Aaron and winked over his shoulder at Liv.

“What? This?” Aaron looked down at himself, thrown off by the comment.

“Yeah, it would be a shame if… something were to… happen… to it.”

The next moment everything seemed to happen at once. Liv pinched his sides and tickled him when at the same time Robert moved in for the kill. Within seconds there was a white stripe on his face and he had a sneaky suspicion there would be blue handprints on his waist now.

He managed to break free from their grip and arm himself with a forgotten paint roller.

“Come on then you two. Let’s make this a fair fight.”

The three of them chased each other around the house for the larger part of an hour until Robert called for a truce when he nearly tripped over the sheets protecting the floor.

“I’d like to actually live here again soon and not get myself killed while painting.”

Aaron laughed.

“Yeah we should probably head back to the pub and get cleaned up.” He suggested after taking a good look at the three of them.

They were covered from head to toe in paint. Somehow the end of Liv’s ponytail had ended up getting dipped in paint and her back and shoulders were covered in grey splatter, Aaron’s hoodie was no longer black but had blue and white streaks all over, and when Robert bent over to put the lid back on one of the paint cans, Aaron couldn’t help himself and grabbed his husband’s arse. Feeling almost smug at the handprints he left on his jeans. Payback for the massive handprints on his chest.

When they walked back to the pub, the entire village seemed to be out in the street.

“You know lads, you’re supposed to put the paint on the walls, not on yourselves.” Ross called out, and got a few laughs from bystanders.

David seemed a little uncomfortable at the appreciative looks from Tracey when she saw the handprints on Robert’s jeans. Of course Robert noticed and winked at her. And him.

“Oh no, no chance. You lot are not coming into my pub like that.” Chas said when they entered the pub. “You can use the hose out back.”

“You’re joking.” Aaron said.

“No. You’ll get paint all over the place. I’m not having it.”

“I’ll help you.” Faith offered, looking at Robert. “Just strip and I’ll come hose you down.”

“I’ll pass, thanks.”

“We’re going to have a shower.” Aaron announced and grabbed Robert’s hand and pulled him with him through the back of the pub and up the stairs.

“If you get paint all over my pub, you’re cleaning it up yourselves!” Chas warned them.

“I get the first shower!” Liv said as she ran past them up the stairs and locked herself in the bathroom.

Robert laughed.

“She has no idea of the favour she’s just done us.”

Yeah he had paint in places it definitely shouldn’t be, and the mess they’d made of the house probably meant having to spend an extra day or two living under one roof with the extended Dingle-clan, but as long as he had Aaron looking at him the way he was now, Robert couldn’t get himself to care about any of that.


End file.
